EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — With tears in their eyes and flowers in hand, hundreds of Michigan State University students laid flowers across campus in honor of three students who were killed in a mass shooting last year.
On Feb. 13, 2023, a gunman entered a classroom at Berkey Hall and then walked to the MSU student union firing multiple rounds at students in his path. Three students — Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser and Alex Verner — were killed in the rampage. Five other students were injured.
"It’s just truly such a strange feeling that I really couldn’t put into words," sophomore music education student Ryan Byrne said. "I’m a statistic now. That’s something that I keep thinking about. I am part of the 1 in 5 or 1 in 4. That’s going to mark me for the rest of my life. I have been in a school shooting. It’s hard to deal with that."
Last year, students put hundreds of flowers at the foot of Spartan Statue. Many returned one year later to add bouquets again. Students also took time to pay their respects at the Rock in the center of campus, Berkey Hall where the shooting started and the MSU Union where the shooting ended.
"I just wanted to come here and really think about the three victims that we lost. The three beautiful Spartan souls that were here and would walk on this campus and just remember who they were," sophomore Nina Miller said. "It’s definitely a really mixed-emotion feeling. My heart is very heavy but also very full to see everybody come together and just remember who we are as a community and remember the people that we lost and just come together as one."
Students say Tuesday was a challenging day and as they work to heal, they lean on each other.
"It’s been really, really hard. It’s hard to believe it’s already been one year. It still feels like it was yesterday. I think we all can remember the day like the back of our hands," senior human biology student Jenna Frommer said. "This is so, so unfair for them and I’m carrying them with me as I walk across the stage this May. I know they were supposed to be there right with me."
To cap off the day of remembrance, Spartans will be gathering in Lot 62 near Spartan Statue for a vigil remembering the lives lost. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and will include a luminaries ceremony. The event is set to end at 9:30 p.m.
